American Airlines told employees on Wednesday that it plans on cutting its management and administrative staff by 30 percent, as the company struggles with low demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
American has about 17,000 management and support workers, and the move will eliminate more than 5,000 jobs. Because of the pandemic, the number of passengers on planes plummeted in March and April, and airlines believe it could take years before travel is back to where it was pre-pandemic.
In a letter to employees, Elise Eberwein, American's executive vice president of people and global engagement, wrote that the company "must plan for operating a smaller airline for the foreseeable future." Volunteers will be able to take buyouts through June 10, but if not enough people step forward, forced cuts will be made.
American will keep the employees on its payroll through the end of September, as this was a requirement for airlines to receive billions in government aid. The company has received $5.8 billion to cover labor costs and has applied for an additional $4.75 billion government loan. Catherine Garcia
When Kolton Conrad found a U.S. Marine's dog tag in the Hocking River, the 12-year-old knew he had to track down its owner.
The Lancaster, Ohio, resident was kayaking with his dad and brother on July 4 when he made the discovery. He could make out the name "Rhonemus" on the tag, and at home, his mom, Ashley, helped him clean it. On Facebook, she asked her friends if they knew anyone with the last name Rhonemus, and within six hours, she was in contact with Kimberly Greenlee.
Greenlee's brother, Steven Rhonemus, was a Marine who died in 1974 following a motorcycle crash. She had no idea how Rhonemus' dog tag got into the river, but he was fond of the outdoors, and Greenlee thinks he likely lost it while out with friends. The Conrads met Greenlee at her brother's favorite park to give her his dog tag.
"It's just amazing to think about, this tag was lost for 46 years, and for this little boy to find it on Independence Day, of all days," she told the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. "And for him to realize the meaning behind the tag, and to hold onto it, to help a stranger's family, it's amazing." Her brother died before his daughter, Danielle, was born, and Greenlee knew the dog tag needed to get to her, especially since not long after Rhonemus' death, a fire destroyed many of his belongings. "It was emotional when she got it," Greenlee said. "She said it felt like God was letting her know her dad was with her and watching over her." Catherine Garcia
Doctors at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, are hoping that by sharing one patient's story, it will discourage others from attending "COVID parties."
Dr. Jane Appleby, the hospital's chief medical officer, said that a COVID party is a gathering held by a person who has tested positive for the coronavirus and wants to see if the virus is real and spreads to guests. A 30-year-old patient was recently hospitalized after attending a COVID party, and just before dying, "they looked at their nurse and said, 'I think I made a mistake, I thought this was a hoax, but it's not,'" Appleby said.
Appleby sad the rising number of infections is "concerning," with up to 22 percent of tests now coming back positive in San Antonio, compared to about 5 percent of tests a few weeks ago, The Guardian reports. "I don't want to be an alarmist, and we're just trying to share some real world examples to help our community realize that this virus is very serious and can spread easily," she said.
The hospital has seen an increase in critically ill patients in their 20s and 30s, and Appleby is imploring Texans to "please wear a mask, stay at home when you can, avoid groups of people, and sanitize your hands." On Sunday, state health officials reported 8,196 new COVID-19 cases and 80 additional deaths. There are 10,410 Texans hospitalized with the virus. Catherine Garcia
A section of the southern border wall that was privately built in January, using funds raised by supporters of President Trump, is showing signs of erosion, and Trump is taking it personally.
"I disagreed with doing this very small (tiny) section of wall, in a tricky area, by a private group which raised money by ads," Trump tweeted on Sunday. "It was only done to make me look bad, and perhsps [sic] it now doesn't even work. Should have been built like rest of Wall, 500 plus miles."
Trump was responding to a ProPublica and Texas Tribune report on a three-mile section of the fence built by Fisher Industries in South Texas, about 35 feet away from the Rio Grande. The riverbank is starting to erode, ProPublica and the Texas Tribune say, and a judge on Wednesday ordered lawyers for Fisher Industries and opponents of the fence to inspect the area.
The group We Build the Wall was established during the government shutdown in 2018, when Trump was demanding Congress fund his border wall. The group raised more than $25 million to privately build fencing, but the South Texas project turned into a showcase for Fisher Industries, The Associated Press reports, and the organization only contributed $1.5 million. Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, is on We Build the Wall's board, and staunch Trump ally Kris Kobach, Kansas' former secretary of state, is its general counsel.
Experts cautioned that building the fence so close to the river would cause a break in the fence or flooding, AP says, but Fisher Industries still put it up. In May, the company won a $1.3 billion contract from the federal government to build 42 miles of wall in Arizona. CEO Tommy Fisher told AP on Sunday he has "complete respect" for Trump, and thinks he "just got some misinformation on this stuff." Fisher also said rain and the river's natural flow caused some erosion, and if it continues, the gaps will be filled with rocks. "The wall will stand for 150 years, you mark my words," he declared. Catherine Garcia
Benjamin Keough, Lisa Marie Presley's son and the grandson of Elvis Presley, has died. He was 27.
A representative for Lisa Marie Presley told NBC News on Sunday the family does not know how or where Keough died, adding that his mother is "completely heartbroken, inconsolable, and beyond devastated, but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter, Riley. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life." Keough's father is Lisa Marie Presley's former husband, singer-songwriter Danny Keough.
Benjamin Keough was a musician, and his mother — the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley — noted in 2012 that he strongly resembled her dad. While appearing at the Opry, "everybody turned around and looked when he was over there," she told CMT. "Everybody was grabbing him for a photo because it is just uncanny. Sometimes I am overwhelmed when I look at him." Catherine Garcia
On Sunday, for the first time in four months, New York City reported its first day with zero confirmed or probable coronavirus deaths.
New York City was hit hard during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic — its first COVID-19 fatality was reported on March 11, and on April 7, the city hit its peak with 597 deaths. Overall, New York City has recorded 18,670 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 4,613 probable ones.
"New Yorkers have been the hero of this story, going above and beyond to keep each other safe," Avery Cohen, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, told Bloomberg in an email, adding that "with cases surging around the country, we know we can't let our guard down just yet, and will continue to do everything we can to fight the virus together."
Last Monday, New York City entered Phase 3 of its reopening plan, allowing nail salons and tanning facilities to once again welcome customers but postponing the start of indoor dining. Catherine Garcia
Seventeen sailors and four civilians sustained non-life threatening injuries on Sunday morning, after an explosion caused a three-alarm fire on board the USS Bonhomme Richard at the U.S. Naval Base in San Diego.
The injured are being treated at an area hospital, the U.S. Navy said in a statement. San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell told CNN the ship could burn for days, "down to the water line." He also said the explosion took place as personnel were leaving the ship.
The USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship, was undergoing maintenance. When the fire broke out, there were 160 people on board. It is unclear what started the blaze. Catherine Garcia